Trevor Peters, a junior in the Brian Lamb School
of Communication, interviews Allegra Aguirre,
a sophomore studying political science, at the
Super Tuesday Watch Party. Photo by Mark Simons.

Myles Carlos, a senior political science major,
attends the last Bernie Sanders rally before the
Iowa Caucus, held at Grandview College in
Des Moines (page 3). Photo by Rachel Mummey,

The Des Moines Register.

This semester, Liberal Arts students
got to see the Republican and Democratic
primaries in ways that only a small segment
of citizens can or will. In January and
February, 10 students from Purdue’s chapters
of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political
science honor society, and Lambda Pi Eta,
the national communication honor society,
traveled to Iowa to experience the country’s
first caucuses. They attended rallies and
caucus meetings and collected survey data
on voter attitudes.

Carlos said he had a limited interest in
domestic policy before the trip. But there was
something intriguing about bumping into
Rand Paul walking off a portable news set and
getting a selfie, or watching through a window
as Hillary Clinton waited in line for coffee like
a local Iowan. The experience tapped into the
excitement of real voters getting into the nitty
gritty details of an election with the larger-than-life candidates and stirred something
inside him. “It proved to be a great life
experience and one of the best things I have
been a part of here at Purdue,” says Carlos.

As the primaries heated up, dozens of
students also attended a Super Tuesday
viewing party that featured Purdue President
Mitch Daniels with Alexander Heffner from
PBS’s The Open Mind and other faculty
experts weighing in on the results.

“Students got to really understand the
processes in Iowa, and the viewing party
created the community necessary for true
political engagement,” says Josh Scacco, an
assistant professor in the Brian Lamb School
of Communication.

Carlos says the Iowa trip changed how
he thinks about political opinions. Instead
of seeing bits and pieces of the process, he
took in everything, including conversations
with everyday people trying to grapple
with being the first to make a mark in the
primary season.

“It’s very eye-opening to see who a specificperson is going to vote for and why,” saysCarlos. “It’s interesting to see how peoplethink, which is the basis of political science—to see how people think about these issues. Itwas great to see how our major comes to life.”Besides the occasional protester, ralliesand election return parties tend to becollections of like-minded people. When yourside wins, it’s great to have someone to cheerwith. And when you lose, there are plenty whocan console.

At Purdue’s Super Tuesday viewing party,
however, people of all political persuasions
mingled and exchanged ideas. In between
helping prepare interviews, watching returns,
and listening to President Daniels and others
analyze the primaries, Allegra Aguirre, a
sophomore political science major, sought out
fellow students who supported candidates
other than the one she favors. And while her
Primary Sources CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3